Reestablishing local hospital boards is wrongly described as a ‘quick fix’ for the problems in the Australian public hospital system. The trilogy of essays in this collection describes the negative impact the bureaucratisation of the system has had on staff and patients in the last 30 years. The authors argue that unless accountable pro bono boards are put back in charge, the ability of public hospitals to meet the health needs of the community will continue to be compromised by waste and inefficiency.